Piracy – Orange and MTN (Cameroon) forced to toe the line after FIM steps in

The Cameroon government has just taken a determining stance in the affair which brought music rightholders and Orange and MTN telecom operators into conflict, by forcing both operators to respect copyright and related rights legislation.

For years, these two companies had indulged in piracy by selling protected recordings to their customers, via downloading or streaming, without authorisation from rightholders and without paying anything.

The decision will enable Cameroon musicians to receive at last the revenue to which they are entitled

The international protest campaign instigated by FIM and its members following the call of the Cameroon Musicians’ Union SYCAMU convinced the Cameroon presidency of the need to bring parties to the negotiating table to put an end to the crisis. The decision, which will enable Cameroon musicians to receive at last the revenue to which they are entitled, is also a recognition of their place in the creative economy, not just in Cameroon, by, more widely, in Africa and the rest of the world.